


Euterpe

by Keibey



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-11
Updated: 2014-12-11
Packaged: 2018-03-01 01:06:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2753870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keibey/pseuds/Keibey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had only been six months, but there was already a certain camaraderie that Slaine was grateful for in the five man idol group he had been assigned to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Euterpe

**Author's Note:**

> Written for misurabu, because I told her I would write it if [she drew it](http://misurabu.tumblr.com/post/104547896249/more-a-z-from-twitter-i-blame-kei-mai-for-idol-au). We blame each other for this AU.

Old habits were hard to get rid of, so with his things in hand, Slaine slipped out of his room around the time Inaho was due to be back from a commercial shoot. The other idol was the opposite of a troublesome roommate, but it was easier to work when he was alone.

The lounge was empty, to his relief, and he claimed one end of the posh couch, the padded armrest practically a cushion against his back. Pulling his socked feet up and balancing the clipboard against his knees, Slaine shifted through his MP3 player until he found the instrumental song.

It was probably the first time anyone other than the composer had heard it – he had never seen Inaho on the monstrosity of a digital piano in their room, and he lived with the brunet. The mimicry of an entire band playing was perfect, as always, but what struck him most was the mood. Slaine felt himself frown as he listened to the melody, hand jotting down ideas and words distractedly.

The sudden feeling of a hand on his shoulder startled Slaine into nearly dropping his pencil and pitching his clipboard onto the floor. Somehow he managed to avoid either, yanking out an earbud as he turned his head with wide eyes. Inaho’s expression was bland as always, not exactly clashing with the over-the-top clothes the other idol hadn’t changed out of yet, but not quite fitting either.

“Sorry,” the quiet voice was distinctly unapologetic, “Is that for the new song?” Slaine nodded, and belatedly he remembered to pull his feet off the couch to sit properly. The brunet seemed to take that as an invitation, sitting down beside him. “Could I?”

For a brief moment Slaine only blinked at the other idol – didn’t he have the original copy? – but he placed the earbud he was holding into the upturned palm, and Inaho settled back into the couch, eyes sliding closed. Distracted by how their knees were brushing, he didn’t notice he was speaking until the words were already out of his mouth. “Your songs sound more wistful, lately.”

Inaho opened his eyes, gaze unreadable. “Do they?”

“I was just wondering if the bosses had said something,” he added hurriedly, searching the brown eyes for signs that he might have offended the other idol, but Inaho just met his gaze with the same indecipherable look as the brunet had for the last few months.

“If they did, they’d talk to you too,” Inaho pointed out, and Slaine had already knew that they wouldn’t only inform one of them; he just hadn’t really wanted to entertain the alternative.

“Is there,” Slaine hesitated, looking the wire connecting them instead when meeting the brown eyes began to make him want to shift self-consciously, “Did something happen?”

At the sound of the door opening, they both turned their heads towards the door, watching Kisaki step in only to stop in the middle of crossing the threshold. “Am I interrupting something?”

“N-No,” Slaine turned in his seat as much as the earphone would allow, determinedly ignoring the warmth seeping into his thigh from where it was pressed up against Inaho’s, “Was there something you needed, Matsuribi-senpai?”

“Inaho ran out of the studio so fast the director didn’t have a chance to gripe about him.” The words would have more weight if Kisaki wasn’t grinning conspiringly while he spoke, taking up to leaning against the doorjamb with his arms crossed. “You really have to work on your charm, man.”

Inaho’s expression was completely deadpan as the other idol brought his hand up, fingers poised to mimic a gun, and pointed at Slaine. “I’m aiming for your heart.”

Feeling the heat of a blush flood his cheeks as his heartbeat picked up, Slaine reached up to bat the hand away, only instead of pulling back, Inaho caught his wrist in a comfortable grip. “Please save that for your fangirls,” he said quietly, uncertain as to how to retrieve his hand, and even less certain about what to make of the foreign weight of someone else’s hand resting on his thigh.

“It works.” Inaho turned to their co-worker pointedly.

Kisaki grinned, waving a hand dismissively. “Anyone can get Slaine like that. If you can get him two shades redder, then we’re talking.”

“Matsuribi-senpai!” Slaine said, torn between being horrified and embarrassed.

“Slaine.” He warily shifted his attention back to Inaho at the sound of his name, and for a breathless moment, he thought the other idol was bringing his hand to soft looking lips, but the brunet only shifted to hold it in both of his. “I like you. Will you go out with me?”

Jerking his hand out of Inaho’s grasp, Slaine turned his face away and tried his best to ignore the icy feeling washing over his veins. “Please don’t tease me, Inaho-san.”

“Does getting a confession from a guy bother you?”

“Getting made fun of bothers me,” he answered, tone the armoured politeness he had thought he wouldn’t need here. He didn’t exactly flinch at the movement he caught at the corner of his eye, but the brunet must have noticed it anyway. The hand that reached to tilt his chin was gentle but insistent, and Inaho waited patiently until he was facing the other idol again.

“I’m not.” The fingers left his face as Inaho leaned in, quiet words in his ear, “I want you, Slaine.”

Slaine felt the heat of this blush spread to the very tips of his ears as he jerked away in embarrassment and disbelief, but Inaho looked as calm as always when he settled back into the couch, hand having apparently caught Slaine’s again and was stroking the back of it idly with his thumb.

“Okay, I’m going to leave you lovebirds before this gets awkward,” Kisaki held his hands up in the air as he backed out the door, “All five of us got to be ready for an interview in thirty, don’t get carried away.”

“He’s gone now,” Slaine said unnecessarily in the silence after the door clicked closed, staring at the papers in his lap because he wasn’t sure where else he could look. It didn’t help that the brunet’s thumb was still drawing smoothing circles on the back of his hand, like the other idol wasn’t really aware of doing it.

“Yeah,” was the only thing Inaho said, soft voice not having a trace of nervousness.

“You should give those clothes back to our manager,” he grasped desperately for a topic to fill the quiet, something other than the thumping pulse in his ears or the forlorn instrumental track still playing in his earbud, “It’s not from our company, right?”

Inaho gave a hum of agreement, but Slaine didn’t expect the other idol to give the earbud back by carefully fitting it into Slaine’s ear, and then the same hand covered his eyes when he automatically looked up in surprise. He had only just opened his mouth with a protest when he felt lips against his forehead, the words dying in his throat. It was all he could do to watch Inaho stand and head out the door like kissing Slaine was nothing out of the ordinary.

For a long moment, Slaine sat alone on the couch in the empty room, the instrumental track looping in his ears, and then he caved all at once, curling up on the couch into the smallest ball of embarrassment. A wordless noise of mortification was the only sound he could make, and his eyes fell onto the paper he had been writing on.

How was he supposed to pen lyrics to a melody that was written to him?


End file.
